A Different Kind Of Truth (CD & DVD Deluxe Edition)

First of all I would like to say Eddie proves he is the better and more exciting guitar player then Joe Satriani from Chickenfoot. A Different Kind Of Truth is the most heavy album Van Halen have done and for me David Lee Roth's lyrics are weaker then Sammy Hagars lyrics overall. His lyrics have less meaning and feeling to them in general which for me is this albums main weak point but thats not to say there isn't some damn fine songs here to enjoy.
Let's take it from the start so we and go through all the tracks as follows:

1. Tattoo: When I was first heard this song I wasn't so keen on it but it has grown on me a little more with it's fun lyrics.

2. She's The Woman: Now this song groves and sounds like Van Halen back in their very early days.

3. You and Your Blues: This song is one of the best songs on the album in all departments with a burning guitar solo from Eddie.

4. China Town: Is real grower that rocks big time.

5. Blood and Fire: I feel this song is about Van Halen's relationship with David Lee Roth in which they all feel they have come through Blood and Fire to make this album together. Great song and I expect most Van Halen fans thought they would never see Roth on vocals with VH again.

6. Bullethead: I don't like this song very much it seems silly and pointless. Eddie still does what he does best!

7. As Is: This song needs to be played loud and will please any Van Halen fan.

8. Honeybabysweetiedoll: The band are really jamming together very well and this song gets my blood pumping around my body faster!

9. The Trouble With Never: I sure felt like we would never have another Van Halen studio album with Eddie's poor heath. The lyrics are very witty and this song puts a smile on my face and it is also very slick and cool sounding too.

10. Outta Space: Another very old style sounding VH song yet for me it's seems a bit silly even if it does rock out well.

11. Stay Frosty seems like a nod to the song Ice Cream Man with it's blues feel.

12. Big River: This is the track I liked the most on first listen and is on my small MP3 player. Lyrics are strong in this song and all the lads really shine.

13. Beats Workin: This song is the most epic sounding and a fantasic way to end the album with a blast.

The dvd is a nice little extra which has the band doing Panama, You And Your Blues, Beautiful Girls acoustic together. I hope Van Halen give us another album sooner this time and Eddie gives us some acoustic/ballad tracks next time please.

initially wasn't too impressed, always felt Van Halen albums weren't recorded very well, too thin sounding especially Alex's drum sound. This album is a bit retro until you crank it up really loud on a high quality system then it comes alive. STUNNING! Eddies guitar playing is SUPERB. Time to get the Charvel out and crank my Marshall. AWESOME album.

Delivers on many levels.
This is completing unfinished business and why not gievn the tracks that have been dusted down rocked up and put on this album are from probably VH richest seam retaining the early VH feel of VH2 and Women and children first.

The new production puts in the fizz bang with a modern sound. VH are back with an uncompromised hard rock crunching album here.

The album has some real bone crunchers and good rockers- Lets face it.... 1984 was 35 mins long , women and children first the same and diver down caked in covers and some real stinkers.

From this perspective we have 2 albums here and of good stuff and all VH material... full of swagger, punch and bite. Good stuff.

I saw van halen in 1985 at donnington and were a big disappointment as Roths ego at that time was going into hyperdrive and the band were starting to look like a circus act rather than a band.

VH with Hagar were a good band but I now know that with Hagar the band were good but were not Van Halen...

Here Roths vocals are v.good - The squels have gone and a new gravel tone at the lower range works.

The band have had something to prove here and I think they have as the album is full of good tracks and is the heaviest album they have done confirming them as a rock band like we all knew they were.

Eddie Van Halen young boy looks of 1984 have long gone but the guitar wizardry remains and Roth has grown up here with ego finally coming back to planet earth..with the music been first again.

On first hearing Tattoo I was well disappointed... but several spins and this is a good track, sets the album off well and the lyrics reflect the tattoo era and egos well. Several plays of this album have done the trick and the album has dilated this is good stuff. The old and new work well.

The only down side here is Van Halen are the fab 4 and although you cannot fail to be impressed with Wolfgang - this album could have said so much more with Micheal Anthony in the fold.

What I thought what would be a kop out under Diamond Dave Cirus here has been a very, very pleasant surprise.

Welcome to Van Halen 7.

Was sceptical at first, but five tracks in I'm hooked. Lee Roth's voice hasn't maybe got the full range of days gone by, but the songs play to his strengths. Some nice guitar work by Eddie. Just want to crank the volume up and feel twenty years younger.

Don't get me wrong by that title! A lot of nonsense has been argued over the years for and against both incarnations, but any VH fan worth their salt will agree that comparing them is unfair, as the simple truth is BOTH sides stand up on their own merit. As for this long-awaited album, I would have to say it's a wonderful fusion of the spirit of work the guys did across Van Halen 1 through to 1984. In a branch universe this album might have been 5150 as it seems to flow seamlessly from the 1984 album. One caveat is that the mastering still doesn't quite have the impact that Andy Johns delivered on the 'Carnal Knowledge' album (a breathtakingly dynamic recording to my ear), but that's just me hypercritically picking spots. Grab a copy as soon as you can! The extra DVD in this pack is only short, but it's a very welcome, worthy and fun little addition! *^^*